Doo Wop Christmas

various artists

There
was no form of rock 'n' roll more pure than doo wop. Essentially
a hopped-up version of a vocal group tradition extant
in black culture for many years, doo wop was primarily
sung a cappella by young amateurs (always on
street corners, according to popular wisdom), and most
doo wop records were simply studio recordings of those
groups with instrumental backing added. It was performed
- more than most rock music, at least - purely for the
joy of it (and to impress girls, of course), and it's
the closest thing rock n' roll has to sacrament. When
doo wop entered the similarly pure world of Christmas
music, good things were bound to happen. One of those
things - "White Christmas" by Clyde McPhatter
and the Drifters - is one of the best vocal performances
in the history of rock (copied nearly note for note by
Elvis Presley in 1958), to say nothing of its accepted
status as one of the greatest Christmas vocal performances
of all time (see my Top 100
Songs list).

Others doo wop Christmas records - such as the Penguins' "Jingle Jangle" -
were unrestrained, happy mayhem. Some, such as the Orioles "Lonely Christmas," were
typical of the sublime, strangely destitute sound that makes doo wop fans such
a devoted bunch. True to form, Rhino Records collects more than a dozen such
disparate gems (including all the above) on Doo
Wop Christmas (1992).

Like too many Rhino compilations, though, this CD has a few stinkers - in
this case, three synthesized, latter-day travesties by minor artists that doo
wop maniacs seem to have a soft spot for. Someone (Rocky Rhino?) should be
beaten mercilessly. Further, Frankie Lymon's appearance doesn't quite live
up to its billing; though it's an impressive vocal performance, "It's
Christmas Once Again" was recorded sans Teenagers and isn't,
formally speaking, doo wop. But, that doesn't mitigate the brilliance of the
rest of the album. Some of the songs here are among the best rock 'n' roll
ever recorded, and most of the others are among of the best Christmas music
ever. [top of page]